I don't know if it's just my imagination, but it seems as if it's becoming much more commonplace to name Ernest Swinton as the inventor of the tank. Perhaps the Internet produces some sort of reinforcing effect. More and more articles begin with this bald statement.
Even J.P. Harris says, " . . . Swinton is, perhaps, the individual most commonly regarded as the father of the tank." He does spend several pages disputing the Idea, but I wouldn't have begun with that assertion in the first place. No one who knows their stuff would say such a thing.
This gent thinks it's a straightforward contest between Swinton and Wells, and barely gives the Landships Committee a mention:
He claims that his theory is peer-reviewed, but I don't think being printed in the H.G. Wells fan club newsletter counts as a peer review.
Swinton was maybe a bit unfortunate (although not as much as he later made out). However, his technical ideas were sketchy in the extreme. It worries me that this notion is spreading through the literature that Swinton deserves the credit.
-- Edited by James H on Thursday 10th of November 2016 03:36:54 PM
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